Neworld, Great relationships build great brands

Last Monday, I was asked by NewsTalk’s Henry McKean to comment on Paddy Power’s Museum of Mischief and where the bookmaker company has come from a branding point of view. And it got me thinking about the rampant entrepreneurial spirit in the 1980s from which the brand was born.

30 years ago, there was a hunger by Irish businessmen/women that we hadn’t seen before. It was fueled from years of depression followed by one recession after another. Impressively, this was when some of the world’s most successful Irish brands were born:

At a time when people struggled to put food on the table, Ballygowan was able to bottle water from an aquifer in Co. Limerick and sell it.

A pipsqueak airline out of Waterford called Ryanair was up against the likes of Aer Lingus and British Airways but broke the boundaries by doing something different – providing affordable air travel! Now Ryanair is Europe’s No.1 airline.

A small rock band called U2 was looking for some attention and now is considered worldwide as one of the greatest artists of all time.

And then there was a small consortium of Irish bookmakers that wanted to keep it Irish, change the face of the high street and create a little mischief along the way! And Paddy Power as we know it was born.

This week marks the 30^th anniversary of the Paddy Power brand. Through the years, Paddy Power has stepped over the line many times from their Shave The Rain Forest stunt to spray painting a polar bear. They have gained global recognition and a massive business along the way. And to mark the 30^th birthday of the Irish brand, they gathered all its mischief from over the years and put it under one roof – Paddy Power’s Museum of Mischief.

This week, members of the public can take a gander at the brand’s irreverent marketing schemes through the years. Located at the top of Grafton Street, the exhibition consists of an Amazon-themed petting zoo, a Polar (Bear) Bar, a Department of complaints and many more.

Check out Paddy Power’s 10 best cunning stunts here. And listen to the full radio clip on NewsTalk here.

Photo Cred: Paddy Power

PAT KINSLEY, FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR 

One of the original Brand Thinkers on this Island, Pat has spent the last 33 years extolling the virtues of branding as an essential commercial device that improves every company’s bottom-line. A native of New York City, he brought this passion to Dublin City and now it travels with him wherever he goes!